LaurieA-B

Cafe Campagne is very nice for lunch, and according to the website, Campagne is offering lunch on the terrace during the summer. You can park at the Pike Place Market garage, the Bon Marche garage, or you might be able to get valet parking from the Inn at the Market. Either Maximilien or Campagne would be fun for a visitor since they're both right in Pike Place Market.

Beecher's specializes in cheese. That is their reason for being. As has been reported many times here, their fresh cheese and butter are delicious, and I am looking forward to trying the aged cheeses when they are ready. I suggest you do not make assumptions about all their products based on a single tasting of the ice cream, a new product that may improve.

I wouldn't feel too bad. It was one of only four restaurants in Seattle featured prominently in the New York Times, during the summer tourist season. I'm sure many other restaurants (such as Union) are wishing they had been included. I've been to Cascadia once and greatly enjoyed the $25 3-course menu.

Nothing. See Robert Wolke in the Washington Post, 9/18/2002:

Previous gelato thread. I haven't tried the ice cream from Dahlia yet, but I love everything else there and now I definitely will. Since Wally's Scoop closed, is there a real ice cream parlor in Seattle any more? You know, with goopy sauces, whipped cream, maraschino cherries? (Something besides Baskin-Robbins or Cold Stone Creamery.) (By the way, perhaps the "best ice cream" thread isn't the appropriate place to mention this--but there's now a Dairy Queen open in Westlake Center. I am pleased with this as every now and then I get a serious craving for a cherry-dipped cone or Peanut Buster Parfait.)

Blueberries and lemon are definitely delicious. Maybe lemon zest in the biscuit, or in the whipped cream? This weekend I'm planning to try the blueberry-cream cheese tarts from The Last Course. The filling is pastry cream made with cream cheese, lightened with whipped cream. Perhaps in a shortcake you could use some combination of cream cheese, creme fraiche, and/or whipped cream to give a slightly tart edge.

yes, I definitely favor a return visit to Sichuanese Cuisine/Lo Sichuan/the one on the northwest corner. If you can make the call, laurel, that would be great. 7 pm works well for me.

I haven't been to the Ballard market, but my impression when I went to the West Seattle market (a couple of years ago, so at the time) was that it had a lot of the same purveyors as U-District, and it was also very good. The Columbia City market, when I was last there at least a year ago, was slightly smaller but still had everything you could want. There were also some stands I hadn't seen at other markets; I remember a peanut roaster. I really like the taco truck that is right by the CC market. Since it's from 3-7 on Wednesday, you can go shopping and eat dinner. Nice that it's a mid-week market, since the others are mostly weekend.

No, cottage cheese is called for in many "American-style" lasagna recipes; that's what I ate growing up. I don't know if ricotta was commonly available in suburban grocery stores when I was a kid (1980s), but I never heard of it until I was an adult.

I was slightly disappointed on my last visit to see that prices have gone up quite a bit (99 cents for plain/sugared, $1.19 for glazed, $1.29 for filled, I think, and I think a mixed dozen was $11.90). I don't really mind paying that much for these good doughnuts, it's just that I remember when they were 69 or 79 cents each, not long ago, and now if I have a dollar bill it's not enough to buy a Top Pot doughnut. My favorite is the cinnamon-sugar cruller. I like the crustiness of the cruller. Raspberry glazed is good too. I have only once purchased a TP doughnut from a non-TP location and it was not very fresh-tasting (at 7 am!), so you should definitely go directly to the source.

Article in the P-I today about Vios on Capitol Hill. I am looking forward to going there with our daughter.

Owen, it would be fun to meet you and I've been thinking about that hot pot from Lo Sichuan/Sichuanese Cuisine (street-level on the northwest corner of 12th and Jackson). What about a hot pot party while you're here? (See this thread.) Sichuanese Cuisine is most definitely a "hole-in-the-wall formica table joint." If that sounds good to you, let's plan a dinner. Or if you'd rather Malaysian or banh mi or... , options are open. I'm sure you'll want to visit the much-acclaimed Espresso Vivace on Capitol Hill, and there's lots of egulleters in the neighborhood (including Matthew and me) if you'd like to meet up there.

P-I article on A&J Meats says they've added a fresh fish counter (Wild Salmon Seafood Market). This makes it a good stop for all flesh. I like University Seafood and Poultry very much, but sometimes find myself wishing they had meat too. If we weren't across town I'm sure we'd be shopping at A&J.

Pulling the discussion over from "Farewell and Welcome"--yes, I had one disappointing meal at Bandol, but certainly had not written off the restaurant based on that one experience. The posts here from tighe and ms foodie had me thinking positively--only to hear they're closing down. While that's definitely too bad, especially since that's a great location for a good restaurant, it's terrible that Cassis got sucked into ruin too.

Article in Willamette Week (Portland, OR) about why Starbucks is not evil and how they increase business for local coffeehouses. The one thing not discussed in the article is the quality of Starbucks beverages.

Matthew and I were inspired by the latest issue of Everyday Food to make the Chocolate-Mint Icebox Cake. It is, as Aussie describes above, the classic Nabisco roll with mint extract added to the whipped cream. Somehow neither of us had ever tried this dessert before. It was fun to make and turned out really delicious. I thought it might be all soft and pudding-y, but it sliced nicely and had good texture. Last night I fell asleep dreaming about variations: coffee-flavored whipped cream, vanilla with fresh raspberries or sliced strawberries tucked in, almond-flavored cream garnished with toasted sliced almonds and cherries... I see experiments in the future. I like the idea of ginger cookies. There's a cookie, I think the brand name is Anna, called Ginger Thins that is basically the ginger equivalent of Nabisco chocolate wafers. Must find some.

Have you tried Penzey's spices? Their ground ginger is one of my favorite things that I've ordered, because when you open the fresh jar and sniff, it is nothing like "plain old." I love gingerbread, but will probably wait till fall/winter to try that particular recipe. So far I've mostly used BI as a reference for magazine recipes we've previously made (like chocolate chip cookies), and Matthew made the calzones which were really delicious. Hope your eclairs turned out well.

My answer to this questions for years has been frites stand, so now I'll have to think again.

So, I read in the paper yesterday that Jell-O Pudding Pops are back. Is this true? Can anyone verify? Is Ben Schielke dancing in the streets?

Here's a link to Sara Dickerman's review in The Stranger. My impression is that you can go all out, as Steve did, or have drinks and nibbles (not cheaply, but for considerably less than a whole meal at Le Gourmand). Frites and a cocktail sound good to me.

I've enjoyed many of the fries mentioned here, but it's all about the paper cone, eaten on the street. (Though Frites does have seating.)

So, the other day Matthew, Iris, and I were walking down Broadway nibbling some fries from Dick's. I lamented, once again, the lack of a nice Belgian frites stand in Seattle. During our brief time in New York I loved picking up frites and mayonnaise at Pommes Frites on 2nd, while Matthew was more fond of B. Frites in Times Square. I love walking down the street with a paper cone of great fries. As we talked, I reminded myself that I wanted to start an egullet thread about types of restaurants that we lack in Seattle. Top of my list: frites stand. This afternoon I was home with baby when Matthew came back from a walk bearing... a paper cone of frites! I was delighted to learn that a frites stand has opened on 10th Ave (which happens to be the street we live on) between Pike and Union. Matthew said an array of sauces is available as well. My frites held up fairly well through the walk home, thick cut, crispy on the outside, sprinkled with a nice flaky salt. I can't wait to taste them freshly fried. That block is not heavily traveled, so please get out and support your local frites stand.

Check out this thread: Cheese, sushi, et al, while expecting

After enjoying the chocolate madeleines at Lark, I want to try baking some myself. I plan to try the Cook's Illustrated recipe first (plain, and then perhaps the chocolate variation). First I need the pan. King Arthur features the silicone madeleine pan. What do you think? Has anyone had great success with the silicone, or should I go for a traditional metal pan? I think the reason that I never baked madeleines before is that I didn't want to buy a pan limited to one thing. But they are so delicious, and now that I have a baby I realize that mini-madeleines are a perfect kids' treat.

I disagree. I think even young children can learn that different behavior is appropriate in different places. It is up to the parents to communicate their expectations. My siblings and I were holy terrors at home, but we knew how to behave in public. We knew that Chuck E. Cheese was for running around and playing games, but if we went to Denny's (which I considered a nice restaurant when I was a kid), we knew that we should sit quietly and not make a mess.